MAN SWEPT OVER NIAGARA FALLS, SURVIVES

The report came in before sunrise, sending members of the Niagara Parks police scrambling to get to the thundering waterfalls early Tuesday.

There was a man “in crisis,” authorities said in a statement shared on Twitter — and he was near the brink of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border and draws tens of millions of visitors each year.

Despite their efforts, when officers arrived to the Canadian side of the falls around 4 a.m., they appeared to be too late.

Park police said they saw the man climb over the retaining wall, a sturdy barrier made of roughhewn stone blocks interspersed with decorative metal railings, and enter the raging waters of the Niagara River. Within moments, he was swept over the enormous waterfall, vanishing into the impenetrable cloud of mist rising from the gorge.

With no protective covering and facing a 188-foot drop into a roiling pool of water filled with large rocks, history suggested that the man’s survival was unlikely. Scores have died taking the plunge either by accident or, in most cases, intentionally.

According to The Buffalo News, it’s estimated that 25 people annually commit suicide by going over the falls.

But as authorities scoured the lower Niagara River for the man Tuesday morning, they came across an unusual sight. The man was sitting on rocks near the edge of the river — and he was alive.

He was found with injuries and was hospitalized, police said. The man’s identity was not released and authorities declined to offer any additional information on the situation Tuesday night.

“He’s a very lucky guy. Not many people do it and survive,” Ontario resident Andy Essor told The Buffalo News. “He definitely has God in his top pocket.”